VATICAN PREPARES FOR POPE JOHN PAUL'S SILVER JUBILEE

VATICAN CITY, SEP 20, 2003 (VIS) - The program of events scheduled in the Vatican to mark the 25th anniversary of Pope John Paul II's election to the papacy was made public today. It includes a four-day meeting of the 164 members of the College of Cardinals, Mass on the day of the anniversary and a concert in the Pope's honor.

At 5 p.m. on Wednesday, October 15, the College of Cardinals will gather in the New Synod Hall for a four-day meeting, during which six cardinals will reflect on themes of great importance to the Church. Cardinal Bernardin Gantin, former dean of the College, will speak on "The Petrine Ministry and Communion in the Episcopacy"; Cardinal Jean-Marie Lustiger on "Priests, the Consecrated Life and Vocations"; Cardinal Alfonso Lopez Trujillo on the family; Cardinal Nasrallah Pierre Sfeir on ecumenism; Cardinal Ivan Dias on missions and Cardinal Angelo Sodano on "The 25 years of Pontificate in Service to Peace."

The cardinals, who where invited by the Holy Father to Rome for this anniversary, will be joined by the presidents of episcopal conferences, the heads of dicastery of the Roman Curia and by patriarchs.

Pope John Paul will not be present at the opening session but he will attend on the morning of October 16, the 25th anniversary of his election in 1978, during which he will sign the post-synodal apostolic exhortation for the 2001 synod held on the theme of the episcopal ministry. He will do so in the Clementine Hall. At 6 p.m. that same day there will be a Mass in St. Peter's Square to commemorate this jubilee.

On Friday, October 17, the College of Cardinals will meet again. At 6 p.m. in honor of John Paul II, there will be a concert in the Paul VI Hall offered by the choir and orchestra of Leipzig who will perform Beethoven's Ninth Symphony and Bruckner's "Ecce Sacerdos Magnus."

The Pope will address the meeting of the cardinals during their final session on Saturday, October 18. His talk will follow the presentation of a Message to him from the entire College of Cardinals. At 1 p.m. The Holy Father has invited the cardinals, heads of dicastery, episcopal conference presidents and patriarchs to lunch. At 5:30 there will be a missionary vigil in the Paul VI Hall, though the Poe is not scheduled to be present.

At 10 a.m. in St. Peter's Square on Sunday, October 19, World Mission Sunday, Pope John Paul will preside at Mass during which he will beatify Mother Teresa of Calcutta.

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